


Kaput

by Fauks



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Fluff, Hitchhiking, I'd say he's only at 4 medals right now, M/M, Mari is friendly and cool and i love her, Mutual Pining, Victor has a crush on Yuuri, or is it canon divergent?, slight AU, super short, the Grand Prix hasn't happened yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-07
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-09-22 14:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9611426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fauks/pseuds/Fauks
Summary: While vacationing in Japan with Chris, Victor's bike breaks down. He has no choice but to hitchhike.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had time and I wanted a brief reprieve from my other YOI series. here's a oneshot. it's a little weird and moves fast but whatever.

He could not believe this was happening right now.

4 hours into his trip and his bike broke down.

His bike. Broke. Down.

Kaput.

Smoking.

Dead.

Thank _god_ he didn’t have Makkachin with him. Usually the (not-so) little pup would ride in the side car, equipped with a pair of doggy goggles, a vest styled like a leather jacket to keep him warm, and a custom made helmet that allowed his ears to poke through. This time, though, he and Chris had traveled to Japan in their off season to do some sightseeing and road tripping throughout the country; to bring Makkachin along for the few weeks they were there would have been a hassle.

Chris stuck to renting a gorgeous cherry red porsche while Victor opted to use a sleek black motorcycle. Because of the considerable size difference between the two methods of transportation, Chris had taken the liberty to hang onto their luggage and personal effects as they traveled between cities.

Of all the times Victor could have left his wallet in his duffle, it had to have been now.

He had tried multiple times to call his friend and his coach, but the signal was abysmal. The few times the calls actually went through, neither one picked up; so much for the helpful “call if you need anything” offer.

This was why he was standing on the side of the highway with his shades on and a thumb up. He had tried a handful of times to get the attention of the rare cars passing through, but one look at the stranded foreigner seemed to propel them to pass by at a faster speed.

This was hopeless. What was he going to do now? He was literally in the middle of nowhere.

It could have been worse. It could have been raining.

He pulled his phone out - noticing with dismay that the battery life had dropped from 40% to 23% - and attempted to call his Swiss companion one more time when he saw a dark car down the road. He huffed, feeling himself pouting and doing nothing to stop it, and held his thumb out once more.

They would probably ignore him as well. What was better: hiding his identity entirely with the helmet, or allowing his hair and features to rat him out as a foreigner?

The call had just clicked to voicemail when he noticed that the car was coming to a stop. It was a green truck, a little dirty and battered but clearly only a few years old. He pocketed the cell as the passenger window rolled down. The first thing he saw was-

“Makkachin?” he gasped when he spotted the poodle.

No wait...this wasn’t Makkachin. Makkachin was in Russia with Mila, probably rolling around in her clean laundry or tearing up her couch. This poodle was much smaller than the animal, with light brown fur that appeared poofier than his own pup.

As if in greeting, the dog’s tongue rolled out of his mouth and he tilted his head to the side.

“Move, Vicchan! C’mon!” the pup was gingerly held back and the driver leaned toward the open window. She was a woman, probably around Victor’s age if not younger, with cropped dyed hair pinned out of her face and piercings eating her ears. She would have been intimidating had she not been looking at Victor with worry heavy in her eyes.

“Are you alright?” she asked in English, peering at the bike behind him. Thankfully, it had stopped smoking. “Did you crash or something?”

“Oh, I’m fine, thank you!” he responded, relieved that someone had finally, _finally_ stopped to help, “my bike started to smoke and I had to pull over. I turned it off and when I tried to turn it back on again, it wouldn’t work.”

“That’s odd. I’m not much of a mechanic myself, but even I can tell that you’re screwed,” her words were a friendly jab and she turned her car off. She peered over her shoulder into the backseat before unbuckling her seatbelt and stepping out.  When she came around the front of her truck, she held her hand out to Victor, “Foreigner, right? You shake hands instead of bowing? I’m Mari.”

“Victor,” he responded and shook her hand, removing his sunglasses, “But seeing as I’m in your home country, it would be rude of me not to greet you properly.” he bowed, earning a laugh from his savior.

“It’s fine. My brother studied abroad in America, so I know a few things from him. You don’t sound American, though. Where are you from? Russia?”

“Russia.” he confirmed.

“What brings you to Japan?” she asked, making her way over to his bike and inspecting the damage.

“Vacation. I came with a friend.”

“Where’s your friend now?”

“Probably 3 towns over.”

“Not traveling together?” she stood up and looked back at her truck, clearly looking like she was thinking something over.

“He rented a car to carry our luggage and souvenirs in.”

“I’m guessing he’s not picking up?”

“...yeah.”

“Were you originally heading in this direction?” she pointed down the road.

“Yes.”

She hummed to herself and clicked her tongue. Although he had only known her for a few minutes, he decided that he liked her attitude. “My brother and I are coming back from Vicchan’s vet visit,” she motioned to the animal in the front seat, whose head was sticking out the window and tail furiously thumping against the middle console, “he’s only ever liked one vet and he moved his practice practically to the other side of the country. We’re on our way home, we can give you a ride.”

“Oh really? Thank you! Thank you so much!” he felt relief surge through his body and he almost hugged her.

“No problem. You can take the train to wherever you and your friend are meeting. You might want to call the shop you rented the motorcycle from, though. Maybe they have a location in our town where you can bring it back.”

“It’s a good thing I paid extra for insurance,” she chuckled in agreement and grabbed the handlebars of the bike, kicking up the kickstand and walking it towards the back of her truck.

“You’re going to have to help me lift this, though.”

“Oh! Of course!”

It was a struggle to get the bike into the back. It wasn’t until they had made several attempts to lift it off of the ground that Mari realized she had a plank of wood that they could use as a ramp. They silently agreed not to mention their folly to anyone.

“Vicchan is a big puppy, so you’ll have to sit in the back.”

“I understand. I have a poodle of my own back home.” Victor reminisced as he followed Mari to the car doors on her side.

“Really?”

“Yes, he’s quite old and fat, but I think your dog is fluffier. What was it’s name again?”

“Vicchan. He’s my brother’s dog. His actual name is Victor, but everyone calls him ‘Vicchan.’”

“Oh wow! Just like me!” Victor laughed at the revelation and Mari smirked.

“Of course. After all, he’s named after you.”

Victor stopped moving and frowned, giving Mari an odd look. She merely smiled back and held her hands up in a cheeky shrug. “My brother has had your face plastered all over his bedroom wall since he was 12. I knew who you were the second you took off your sunglasses, Nikiforov.”

“Oh, how embarrassing,” he lamented and dramatically ran a hand through his hair.

“Don’t worry, I have no interest letting the Social Media world know about your predicament.”

“I appreciate the thought,” Victor grinned when he realized she wasn’t a ‘fan’ of his. His smile turned devious and he narrowed his eyes playfully, “But I was actually referring to the way you butchered my name. How embarrassing for you.”

She laughed and motioned for him to walk around the truck, “Yuuri is asleep right now, so you need to get in on the other side or else he’ll tumble out.”

“Ah, ok,” Victor turned and was about to move when he realized he was going to enter a car with a stranger who knew who he was… who he _really_ was… “Can I try calling my friend one more time?”

“Sure, we’re in no hurry.” She pulled a packet of cigarettes out of her pocket and tapped one out. As she lit the stick, he pulled out his phone and dialed Chris one more time.

_Brrring…._

_Brrring…_

_*click*_

_“Vitya we just saw each other 4 hours ago; don’t tell me you miss me already.”_

“Chris!” he cried out with relief and sighed, “Finally! I’ve been calling you for ages!”

 _“I know, I can see that,”_ he purred, _“What do you need? I was listening to some promising music scores for my new short program.”_

“My bike broke down.”

“ _Oh, no!”_ his trademark nonchalance was quickly cast aside at the news of his friend’s predicament, _“are you alright?”_

“Yes, I’m fine. It started to smoke, so I pulled over and shut it off. It won’t start up, though.”

 _“Oh, thank God! Who else would I compete against in the Grand Prix? JJ?!_ ” Victor smiled and shook his head fondly.

“Thank you for the concern.”

_“Do I need to get you?”_

“No, I think I’m fine. A car pulled over for me and they’re giving me a ride.”

_“...Is that a good idea?”_

“I don’t have many options. Unless you’re near by?” he asked, hopeful.

“ _No, I’m already in Hasetsu. I don’t even know where ‘near by’ is in relation to you.”_

“Same,” he looked over his shoulder at Mari, who exhaled a puff of smoke and waved 2 fingers at him.

_“Well, can you trust these people? Are they some old geezers or creepy farmers?”_

“ _Chris_!” he hissed in disapproval and and rolled his eyes, “No, it’s a girl around our age and her brother. They also have a dog who looks almost exactly like Makkachin.”

“ _Awe, how sweet. Still doesn’t mean they’re not serial killers._ ”

“Chris, it’s hot and I’ve been trying to get a ride for hours, not to mention trying to reach you for even longer than that.”

“ _Oh…_ ”

“Yeah, ‘oh.’” Chris sighed heavily on the other end of the line.

_“Alright, where are they taking you?”_

Victor turned around again and covered the receiver of his cell with his hand, “Where is it we’re heading?”

“Hasetsu,” she answered easily, “Our family owns a hot spring. You’re more than welcome to stay there and get your driving situation figured out, maybe even have some food before you move on.”

“Hasetsu?! With the ninja house?”

“Yes.”

“That’s where I’m headed!”

“Oh, perfect,” she smiled and inhaled deeply.

“Chris, she’s on her way to Hasetsu, too.”

_“How convenient...a little too convenient.”_

“Chris!”

_“I’m worried, Victor.”_

“Don’t be, everything is working out fine. I’ll meet you at our Inn. What’s it called again?”

_“Yu-Topia Katsuki. Call me as soon as you get there! And I want texts every 10 minutes!”_

“I’ll see you soon, Chris.” Victor ended the call quickly and turned around. “What are the odds? How convenient, thank you so much!”

“I’m glad things are working out for the both of us,” she stamped the burning end of her cigarette against the bottom of her shoe and pinched the tip, twisting the singed end off and tucking the rest of the untouched stick behind her ear, “Try not to bump Yuuri when you get in.”

“‘Yuuri?’ I have a rink mate in Russia who’s also named ‘Yuri!’ How funny!” he made a mental note to tell the blond boy about the encounter later and smiled brightly, “I’ll be careful,” he reassured and walked around the truck. He heard Mari get in as he reached the door and spotted Vicchan’s goofy mug in the open window. He stopped to ruffle his ears and scratch under his chin before opening the door.

He froze as soon as he saw the sleeping boy, but it wasn’t due to the way the sunlight enveloped his unconscious form in a golden glow. It wasn’t due to the way his hair was pushed back with a few strands sticking out in different directions, nor how his long lashes fluttered softly when the wind from outside breezed through and grazed him. It wasn’t due to how he was curled in on himself, hugging a jacket tightly against his chest with the unattached leash for the poodle tangled around his calf.

No, he froze because he was face to face with one of Japan’s top figure skaters, JSF certified and nationally ranked: Yuuri Katsuki.

“Are you getting in?” his thoughts were invaded by the sudden inquiry and he snapped his head in the direction of the speaker. Mari looked back at him with an unimpressed look, a hint of mischief and amusement twinkling in her eyes.

Victor looked back at the sleeping boy and gulped. There was no way this was true. They probably just look alike. This has to be another ‘Yuuri’ with the same name...and appearance…

He entered the car and closed the door as quietly as he could, buckling his seatbelt and careful not to bump the sleeping boy. Mari was still watching him, briefly peeking back at her brother before finally facing forward and starting the car. Vicchan merely sat with his back to the windshield, facing Victor fully with his tongue lolling out if his mouth.

Victor kept stealing looks at the sleeping boy as he pet the dog in the seat in front of him. Was this Yuuri Katsuki? _The_ Yuuri Katsuki, who lacked slightly in technical skill but more than made up for it in his performance? _The_ Yuuri Katsuki, whose free program Victor stumbled upon once by accident on YouTube but found himself obsessing over when he saw the way the boy could create music with his body? _The Yuuri Katsuki_?!

“Uhh...Mari?”

“Yes?” she said, humming along to ‘Killing Me Softly’ that played quietly on the radio.

“What’s your last name?”

“Katsuki,” she answered, a knowing look now present in her expression, “I’m guessing you recognized him?”

So he _was_ the figure skater! “Oh my God…”

Mari snorted and Victor suddenly became acutely aware of his reaction to the boy, “Don’t worry, Victor. My brother has a major man crush on you, but he likes to label it as ‘admiration;’ you’re lucky he’s not awake to freak out right now.”

Oh? Yuuri liked him- oh, of course; Mari had mentioned that she recognized Victor _because_ of her little brother’s idolization of the man! Yuuri liked him? Yuuri _idolized_ him? He found himself blushing and looked out the window just as his phone vibrated with a text. When he looked down and saw it was a message from Chris, he opened it to find an image of a billboard the Swiss had taken while driving.

 _Dibs! Do u think theyll let me take it?? ;3 also i hope ur not ded yet_ The message read. The image on display was one of Yuuri Katsuki figure skating. Flower petals swirled around him and a gorgeous traditional Japanese building with sloped roofs and white walls towered in the background. There was something written in Japanese across the image and Victor couldn’t help but wonder what it was.

He knew why Chris sent him that. The skater was fully aware of his infatuation with the Japanese skater and liked to poke fun at him for it whenever he could. Victor couldn’t help but smirk; after all, he was sitting next to the same skater Chris was trying to tease him for.

As discreetly as he could, Victor opened his front camera and angled it so that he could get a selfie with the boy’s sleeping form. He lined the image up, purposefully keeping his head in the corner of the frame so that Chris would know he wasn’t sending him a random image from the internet. He winked at the camera and took the picture, noticing only at the last second that Mari had flung her hand in and formed a peace sign above his head.

He blushed and timidly looked up at her. “I’m sorr-”

“I would probably do the same, too,” she answered conspiringly, “If Yuuri finds out, he’ll be embarrassed, sure, but once he’s over that he’ll be happy.”

Victor chuckled and looked back at his phone. He went to options and pressed ‘send Image,’ pressing Chris’ contact and typing out a quick caption:

_u can keep it. ive got dibs on the real deal._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to [exile-wrath](http://exile-wrath.tumblr.com/) for being such an awesome person! and for helping beta! check out his[ writing](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Exile_Wrath), it's better than mine!
> 
>  
> 
>  

Victor was just trying to be nice. Honestly. It couldn’t have been comfortable for the Japanese skater to have his dog’s leash tangled around his calf, right? Victor knew the few times it happened to him were annoying, so why not help a fellow dog owner out?

He had been chatting with Mari - more like complaining, to be honest - about the hidden, unglamorous parts of life that accompanied being an athlete. It was nice to have a sympathetic ear to chew on, what with her growing up with a brother who knew his struggles, and he had found himself eyeing the brown leather.

He had started going off on the pains of buying and breaking in new skates - a complete nightmare - when he began to gingerly lift Yuuri’s leg and unravel the leash. He had the thing halfway off when the boy shifted in his sleep and groaned. He froze, still holding up Yuuri’s leg as the skater slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. His hair had fallen in his face, giving him a more youthful appearance as he started to feel around the seats and his pockets for something, eyes still closed.

He muttered something in Japanese, pulling his foot out of Victor’s hold and frowning as he continued his search with more aggression. Whatever it was, he couldn’t find it, and he whined loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose. Mari gave a noncommittal grunt and responded dryly, leaving Victor to speculate as to whatever it was they were discussing.

“Oh, by the way, we have a guest with us,” she spoke in English, “A hitchhiker whose bike broke down. We’re giving him a ride to Hasetsu.”

Yuuri asked another question in Japanese, and she - again - responded in English.

“Because it’s hot outside and I’m pretty sure no one else would. Ask him to find your glasses for you, he’s right next to you.”

Yuuri seemed to snap out of his grogginess as soon as she mentioned Victor’s presence and he whipped his head to the side. He squinted at Victor, and the Russian figured he could only see blobs of color without his glasses.

“Oh, I’m sorry if I kicked you in my sleep! It’s a bad habit!” Yuuri quickly blurted in English, still feeling around for his glasses.

“Oh no, you were no bother at all!” Victor quickly dismissed, his own excitement swelling because _he was actually talking to Yuuri Katsuki!_ “I really must apologise for the inconvenience! Thank you for letting me catch a ride with you! Really!”

“Oh, but I didn’t have much of a say-”

“-but you would have made me stop anyway,” Mari chimed in, “This isn’t the first time we’ve stopped for hitchhikers, and Yuuri is always the one that makes me pull over.”

Yuuri reached forward to blindly flick her ear, but he missed by a few inches. Mari laughed and butted her temple against his hand in order to show how far off he had been.

“I understand your struggle, though,” Yuuri confided and leaned down to feel the floor for his glasses, “When I was studying abroad in America, my roommate and I went on a road trip during our off-season. We were at a gas station in Massachusetts when he left me behind. He thought I had been sleeping under a pile of clothes and forgot that I had gotten out of the car to buy water. I called him on a payphone and ended up catching a ride with a cargo truck driver to the nearest hostel where we agreed to meet. Her name was Margaret, she was really nice -- have you seen my glasses anywhere?”

Victor was too distracted, feeling giddy over the newly learned story of Yuuri’s past to register the question at first. It took a moment - and he hoped Yuuri didn’t notice his delay - for him to respond.

“Oh, I haven’t seen them.”

“They have blue frames. Can you check to see if you’re sitting on them?”

Sit on Yuuri’s glasses? He would _never_! Victor lifted himself up slightly and looked around, spotting the frames on the ground next to his foot. He reached down and picked them up, considering them for a moment in his hands.

Mari had mentioned that Yuuri idolized him. Does that mean he would freak out if he saw that he was in the same car as the said idol? Was that a good idea? He was enjoying their conversation so far… he doubted that Yuuri would stay this collected if he knew who he was.

“No, I can’t seem to find them.”

Yuuri mumbled something in Japanese and asked his sister a question.

“No, you didn’t leave it at the vet’s office. I’ll help you look when we’re back home. It probably fell under the seat.”

“Ugh, how annoying.” Yuuri relaxed back into his seat and stared in the direction of Vicchan. Victor wondered if he would recognize him even as an amorphous blob.

“I’m Yuuri,” he said and gave a timid smile, redirecting his focus to Victor, “Sorry, I can’t see anything right now.”

“Oh that’s alright. My mother needed glasses, too. I am familiar with your struggle.” Victor gestured with his hands, forgetting that Yuuri wouldn’t be able to see him, “I’m Vi… Victor.”

“Nice you meet you,” Yuuri greeted after a moment of hesitation. The Russian had been afraid that he had outed himself with his introduction, but based on the nonchalance of the figure skater, he figured that even if Yuuri had made the connection he wouldn’t have believed it. “My dog is named Victor, too. Vicchan.”

“Ah, Yuuri, he is well acquainted with Vicchan.”

“Has he been pestering you for pets?” Yuuri asked with a playful scowl, leaning forward and reaching a hand out to scratch behind the pup’s ear. “He can be so needy sometimes.”

“Dogs like him are never a bother,” Victor gushed and poked Vicchan’s nose.

“That always seems to apply to other people’s dogs, but never your own,” Yuuri snarked, earning  laugh from the Russian champion.

“Oh, true!” he giggled, “I’m thinking back on my dog and I can’t help but agree. I still love the little baby, though.”

“‘Baby’ as in puppy, or ‘Baby’ as in your child.”

“Definitely child, he’s quite old.” Victor grinned, “he’s turning 14.”

“You’ve got yourself an old man, then.”

“Don’t tell him that. He’s very sensitive about his age,” both chuckled and continued to stroke the head of the dog peering over the front seat

The car was silent after that; not in an awkward way, merely a lull in the conversation, and Victor’s thoughts were racing. He was in the car with Yuuri, away from press and cameras and the pressure of competition. The only other time they had ever been this close together was when the participants of last years Gala Exhibition after the Japanese nationals in Sapporo gathered together to take a group photo for the news the next day. He had been invited as a guest skater, along with a few other Europeans like Chris and Mickey, and was extremely excited to go, especially after learning of Yuuri’s placement as the Silver medalist in that year’s competition.

He had been able to tell as soon as he got there that no one took his acceptance of the invitation seriously. The shock on their faces and the excitement had been cute, but he had been more concerned with seeking Yuuri out and chatting him up. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to get a second to talk to him, too busy being hurried along from camera to camera, interviewed by different news outlets before being bombarded by excited fans and shy skaters.

The only time he had been able to talk to Yuuri was when they greeted each other before the group photo had been shot. He had put his arm around Yuuri’s shoulders and held up a small bouquet of flowers in place of a peace sign, smiling brightly and practically vibrating with excitement when Yuuri had slightly leaned into his side. He had spent the next two hours afterward messaging Chris and freaking out over the moment that barely lasted 10 seconds.

But here he was now, sitting next to Yuuri and petting his dog - the famous toy poodle Vicchan that was _named_ after him(?????) - on their way to his home. He scratched a bit harder behind Vicchan’s ear, earning a sigh of approval, in an attempt to calm his nerves.

Oh, but he was just so excited!

He turned back to Yuuri and was about to ask him about ice skating when he froze. The Japanese athlete was staring at him, brows raised and eyes wide.

Oh. Oh no. Did he say something?

Did he recognize him? But he wasn’t wearing glasses! He shouldn’t be able to tell!

_“My brother has had your face plastered all over his bedroom wall since he was 12.”_

Shit, he should have realized. There was no fooling Yuuri, not when he apparently woke up blurry eyed to Victor’s face every morning.

“Is something wrong?” he found himself asking. It seemed foolish to pretend at this point, but he still wanted to try.

“Uhm…” Yuuri redirected his attention to his sister, asking her something in rapid Japanese before continuing to stare at Victor. She replied with a shrug and Yuuri hissed something else.

“It’s rude to switch languages in front of a guest,” she chided and clicked her tongue. Yuuri spat something back, and Victor was barely able to make out ‘Nikiforov’ before he unbuckled his seat belt and started climbing over the middle console.

“Yah!” Mari shouted and tried to shove him back. Victor leaned out of the way of his flailing limbs, trying so, _so_ hard not to stare at the sliver of skin revealed by his rising shirt. Yuuri snapped a reply and opened the glove box. He immediately found whatever it was he was looking for and leaned back into his seat, fumbling to open what appeared to be a glasses case.

With the frames in place, he looked at Victor. The Russian held his breath and waited, his hand still scratching behind the puppy’s ear. He had met all sorts of fans and had experienced many different kinds of reactions. Yuuri, although Mari insinuated he was a long time admirer, had yet to reveal what type of fanboy he was.

Victor bit his lip, now anxious albeit a little excited. “You had spares the whole time? Did you just now remember?”

He saw Yuuri reach down and pinch his thigh; he couldn’t help but grin broadly. “Oh, you think you’re dreaming? That’s adorable, Yuuri!”

“ _Neechan_ ,” without looking away, Yuuri blindly reached for his sister and grabbed her shoulder, shaking her a bit before asking something in Japanese.

“Yes, I know. It’s actually him. Please don’t faint.”

“ _Neechan_!” he screeched, scandalized. Victor laughed.

“I guess there’s no use in pretending,” he held out Yuuri’s glasses for the boy to take. Instead, he stared at them as if Victor had ripped his favorite doll in half and was giving back the head.

“You had them?”

“Not the whole time. I found them, but I wanted to keep talking to you like we were before.” He admitted sheepishly and placed them next to Yuuri’s leg when he made no move to take them. “You sister said you were a fan. I didn’t want to scare you.”

“‘Scare?’” Yuuri huffed, turning red, “I’m not scared… well… okay, m-maybe a little, but ‘scared’ is not exactly the term I would use-”

“Don’t be afraid! Be excited! I’m very excited to meet you, after all!”

“Y-you… are?”

“Yes!” Victor gushed and leaned a little into Yuuri’s space. “I’m a huge fan! I found one of your routines on Youtube a year ago and your skating is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen!”

“M-my skating?” he squeaked, voice cracking. As if in response, Mari rolled down her window to get some air flowing to the back.

“Yes! I’m struggling to find the words to explain it,” Victor frowned and searched through his mental lexicon. There were so many things he wanted to say, but English wasn’t the best language for him to do it, “You… you create _music_ with your body. It’s captivating, like listening to a siren’s song. Truly beautiful.”

“Oh, no!” Yuuri gasped and shook his head furiously, suddenly more animated than he had been seconds ago, “No, Victor! That’s… that’s kind of you to say, but un-n-necessary!

“ _Your_ skating!” his eyes started to sparkle and he leaned forward slightly. Very subtle, but Victor noticed the movement immediately, “Yours is much better than mine! You spin these wonderful tales with your routines! You tell these stories - and the _emotions_! You’ve reduced me to tears more times than I can count! I can only dream to be like you!”

Victor blushed at the praise, his cheeks hurting from his smiles, “Those are such kind words, so humble. But I must disagree! If you merely had a little more training, there would be no contest between us with you as the clear winner.”

“N-no, not at all! I’m not being humble, I’m telling the truth! I’m not nearly as good as you are,” he looked away, the red creeping up his ears and down his neck, “I don’t think anyone will ever be as talented as you.”

Now that was simply not true! And Victor wasn’t going to remain silent about it. “Yuuri, it sounds like you don’t have any confidence in your skating. I’ve seen videos of your routines when you’ve practiced them and when you competed with them. When you’re skating in your home rink, you rarely stumble and you land all your jumps. But when you’re competing… do your nerves get to you?”

“W-well,” Yuuri clearly was caught off guard by the change in topic, but Victor wasn’t willing to let it go just yet, “My own coach has told me the same thing. I just… I get anxious easily. I never feel like I belong-”

“In front of a crowd?” Victor interrupted him before he could go any further, “Well, not everyone is made for publicity.” He grabbed Yuuri’s hands and held them tightly, looking directly into his eyes with determination, “But don’t you dare say you don’t belong on the ice. You were made for it, Yuuri, it’s obvious to anyone who watches you.”

Yuuri tried to look away, attempting to tug his hands out of Victor’s grasp. The Russian held on tighter.

“I want to help you, Yuuri.”

“What?” that got his attention quickly, and he whipped his head back to stare at the skating legend.

“The pressure of a crowd? Surely it’s incomparable to the pressure of skating for your idol, right?”

“I-idol?!”

“At least, that’s what Mari called me. Why, was she wrong?” the older sister started to chuckle and Yuuri whined at her in Japanese. Victor released one of his hands and reached out to gingerly trail his finger along his jaw, bringing Yuuri’s face forward so that they were making eye contact once more.

“There’s an ice rink in your hometown, right?” when Yuuri hesitantly nodded with confusion furrowing his brows, Victor grinned, “Sorry, but I have done some research on you. I _am_ your fan, after all.

“We’re in our off seasons, right? So let’s skate together! I’ve always wanted to skate with you! I’ll help you land your jumps and improve your techniques. By the time the season starts you won’t be nervous skating in front of those large crowds or against other athletes.”

“W-what? How?” Yuuri’s eyes widened and he shook his head, “This doesn’t mean I’m agreeing-”

“Really? Why wouldn’t you?”

“-but… you sound so confident about that. How are you sure I won’t be…Why are you even offering?”

“Because it's what I want too, Yuuri,” Victor winked and leaned even further into Yuuri’s space, trying not to freak out over the close proximity to his crush, “When the season starts, the only one you’ll be skating for is me.”

Victor wasn’t prepared for Yuuri to faint, and he caught him quickly before his head could hit the window.

“Oh no! Mari? Mari?!” he asked, looking back and forth between the two siblings. She was cackling as she drove, eyes fixed to the road with a hand on Vicchan’s tummy. “Mari, what do I do!?”

“Nothing much you can do. We just have to wait for him to wake up.” She laughed once more and shook her head, “I am never going to let him live this down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there will not be any more chapters added after this. it's complete. done. kaput lol. youll see more YOI fics from me in the future though :3

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr @ [fennec-faux](http://fennec-faux.tumblr.com/)


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